MANAGUA, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of
American States (OAS)'s observer mission in Nicaragua said in a statement on
Sunday that it "regretted" the U.S. intervention in Nicaragua's presidential
election campaign.

"The future of Nicaragua's political institutions
should depend only on the decision of the people of this nation," the OAS
mission said.

The OAS statement came after two recent public
statements by U.S. officials that appeared to support Eduardo Montealegre, a
candidate from the Nicaraguan Liberal Alliance-Conservative Party coalition.

On Thursday last week, the U.S. trade minister,
Carlos Gutierrez, told Nicaraguan press that if Daniel Ortega, candidate from
the Sandinista National Liberation Front party, were to win the Nov. 5 election,
it would put U.S. investments in Nicaragua atrisk.

On Saturday, U.S. ambassador in Nicaragua, Paul
Trivelli, told media that a vote for the Liberal Constitutionalist Party's
candidate was effectively a vote for Ortega.

Trivelli had previously tried to form a coalition
that included all of the country's right-wing parties, in a bid to strengthen
the anti-Ortega force.

The OAS has now complained twice about political
interference in the election. In a Sept. 25 statement the organization said
"other nations" should not interfere.

The OAS's first statement came after Dan Burton, a
U.S. Republican lawmaker, made public statements in Nicaragua alleging that
Ortega's party controlled the nation's Supreme Electoral Council.